Troq
by StoriesThatNeverWere
Summary: This is the story of the episode TROQ, but we get additional scenes, and we now know Robin's thoughts! R&R. RobStar.
1. Meeting Val Yor

_**This was an idea I just had. I will write stories about actual episodes, though I will add thoughts from a particular Titan (in this case, Robin) and additional scenes.**_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the episode "Troq" nor do I own the Teen Titans._

OOOOO

"Mornin' all," Cyborg entered the living room/kitchen of the Titans Tower. The sun had peeked its head many hours earlier, and Robin had been awake to see it. His friends, however, had grouped together within the past few minutes.

Beast Boy, with his chef hat, was making Tofu waffles. He was the youngest of the titans, but will amazing animorphing powers, he was a great addition to the team.

Raven, who had been the first to awaken after Robin, sat in her corner of the couch, head hidden behind the covers of a large blue book. She was the most independent of the group, but she also had the worst past. Only recently, she had been in Slade's wrath. The evil man delivered a message that none of the Titans would forget. Though Raven never would admit it, she had been scared that day. And she had reason to be.

Cyborg sat at the eating table, complaining to Beast Boy about his breakfast. Beast Boy was a vegetarian; because of being able to change in animals, he thought it hypocritical to eat things he became daily. Cyborg yelled something about pancakes and eggs, which only set of another argument.

An alien girl, red haired and green eyed, sat in front of the mini refrigerator. She glanced around at all the food inside, then grabbed a can of tuna. She poured chocolate syrup and placed slice banana in the dish, then brought it to the table to eat.

Robin took his feet of the chair in front of him, signaling Starfire to sit there.

"Good morning, Robin. I hope your dreams were filled with sugarplums and flohgrons."

"Hey, Star." He thought nothing of her strange English. She was from Tameran, another planet, and as long as she was understandable, there was no sense in correcting her.

Robin was silent, as he tuned away from reality into thinking world. _What is Slade's game? What could he possibly want with Raven? _

"Friend Robin, I sense trouble in your thoughts."

"I wish I knew what Slade wanted."

The girl nodded, and then perked. "Why don't we settle out nerves with a game involving a deck of cards and an old maid!"

"Cool!" Beast Boy sat at the table, a stack of waffles on his plate.

"I'm in."

"Raven, would you care to join our game?"

The blue-robed teenager looked up from her book. _Why bother asking, Star? _Robin knew Raven wouldn't join. It wasn't her thing.

But he was wrong.

Raven placed her book down, and took a seat between Beast Boy and Robin.

They played for at least a half hour, though it was usually interrupted when Cyborg would make a comment about how badly Beast Boy's tofu waffles smelled.

Robin looked at his deck. He had five cards left: A 3, 7, a Jack, an ace, and the queen of spades, which they were using as the old made. It was Starfire's turn to take a card from him.

_Take the one in the middle! _Robin thought to himself. And Starfire did. As soon as she placed the queen in her hands, she asked, "Please, explain why it is bad to be the old maid."

Just as Robin opened his mouth to answer, the sound of a large "woom" from outside interrupted him. He looked outside, and saw what appeared to be flying crafts.

"Woah, what was that?

"Giant worms?" Beast Boy spoke.

"Uh, don't think so."

"Titans, GO!" Robin called his friends. They all stood up and followed him to the top of the T.

On the roof, Robin watched a large ship being tailed by to bat-shaped flyers. _Who is that?_

"Whoever he is, the guy's a good pilot." Cyborg answered Robin's thoughts as though he had spoken it aloud,

The leading plane twisted through the air, and did a double back, while attempting to shoot one of the other crafts. He succeeded, and the flyer exploded in nothing.

"That guy's a _great _pilot!"

Robin then noticed the man from the bigger plane leave from his craft. The unknown stranger fell backwards onto his attacker, and brought his large fists down onto it. The craft flew aimlessly through the air before crashing onto a nearby hill.

"Is he…" Starfire couldn't complete the sentence.

"Come on! Let's see if he's okay."

OOOOOOO

Just as the five teenagers arrived on the hill, a man appeared from the burning flyer. He was big, not only in height, but in structure. His skin was silvery steel, and his grin was one that should be plastered on every toothpaste commercial.

"It takes more then a plasmatic explosion to take down Val-Yor." He boasted proudly.

Robin stood in awe for several seconds before speaking. "That was some amazing flying."

"Thanks. Val-Yor of Bernathia. Pleased to meet you."

_Wow, this guy is so cool! _

"I'm Robin, and we're the Teen Titans." Robin went around introducing everyone. _Wouldn't this be the ultimate guy to work with!_

"Val-Yor," Starfire chimed in, "I welcome you to Earth."

Robin swore he noticed a change in Val-Yor's expression.

"I see you have a Tamaranian."

"Yeah, Starfire's part of the team." _I swear he's glowing! _Robin was just too shocked to think clearly.

"So, who were those guys?"

"They weren't GUYS at all," Val-Yor answered.

OOOOO

_**What do you think? I thought the idea would be fun. I know this story must be so dull right now, but it will pick up. We must get some Robin/Star stuff in there, while still being discrete and remaining true to the Teen Titans.**_

_**Song**_


	2. Attack

Back at the Titan's Tower, Val-Yor had brought up a picture on their large plasma screen.

It was an ugly looking creature: white skin, no facial features, a large red circle surrounded by four smaller ones was indented on his skull. There was a strange eye looking shape where the stomach should have been.

"The Locrixes are vicious fighting machines." Val-Yor informed the five teenagers as they sat before him.

Robin stood up, and questioned, "Machines?" _Why would machines be here? _"What do they want?"

"Nothing less then total galactic domination," he went on to describe them in detail, as more pictures displayed on the screen.

_Why haven't I heard of these before?_

Starfire, who sat behind Robin, spoke up. "But… you have defeated them, yes?"

Val-Yor was still staring at the large screen when he answered. "Those two were just scouts. There are many more where they came from."

"Sounds like you've had a lot of experience fighting them," pointed out Cyborg.

"I've been fighting the 'crixies" before longer then I can remember." He then added, "They've tried to take over Bernathia, but I wasn't about to let that happen."

"So, how do we stop them from trying to take over earth?" Robin inquired. If someone as strong as Val-Yor had been fighting them for so long, they were clearly not easy to defeat.

"I'm on a mission to hit them where they live. Cencian. The mother planet…"

_This guy is awesome! Maybe he'll let us join him!_

"… plug it in to their central power core, and it'll shut 'em down forever."

"We'd like to help." Robin decided to play as cool as he could.

The man took no time to answer. "I can use all the help I can get. But I have to warn you, it's going to be dangerous. Those crixies are tough. They won't give up without a fight."

"Neither will we," Robin shot Val-Yor a thumbs-up.

The steal man smiled. "Good. We must leave at once!"

OOOOO

"…And escaped without a scratch!" Val-Yor sat in a throne sort of chair, with all five titans staring at him in complete admiration.

"Dude!" Beast Boy was the first to speak. "Those crixies didn't know what was coming!"

The story teller chuckled low. "They sure didn't, son."

Robin was flabbergasted. _This guy has done everything! From fighting, to flying, to short-circuiting! _The Boy Wonder had a new idol.

" 'Just installed a new neutron turbo engine," Val-Yor placed a strong hand on Cyborg's shoulder. "Wanna give her a spin?"

Cyborg glanced over at the pilot's seat. All at once, he was speechless. He said some strange for of words like, "Abigago bagaboo gabee oooo?"

"I think that's a yes." Raven's stated dryly.

Cyborg was like a four year old boy on Christmas, taking his seat and staring at the controllers with a love indescribable.

Robin felt a hand on his back. "Why don't you navigate?" Robin, just like his friend, immediately sat down and placed his hands on the wheel. Immediately, several screens appeared in front of him. "Oooh…." _I'm in heaven! _He looked at Cyborg, and displayed a huge grin.

"Raven, Beast Boy, man the blasters." Robin heard behind him.

"Cool!" _That was Beast Boy, _Robin was too focused on the toy in front of him to look back. He also heard Raven make a comment, but by that time had shut out the world. _This is the SWEETEST thing ever. Val-Yor is great! I wonder if he…_

**BOOM! VROOM!**

Robin returned to reality. In front of him, out the glass screen, he saw many familiar-looking bat-shaped fliers shooting wildly at Val-Yor's ship.

The sound of heavy footsteps came from above. The Locrixes had come aboard.

"Intruders! The cargo hold has been compromised!" Val-Yor was the first to attention.

"The Locrixes?"

"They are after the eradicator!" Robin remembered that as the weapon they were to use on the Locrixes' central power core.

"Cyborg, keep us on course, and keep an eye out for more!"

"Got it!"

"You three, come with me!"

_Three? There's four of us, _Robin brushed the thought aside. They were under attack after all!

Robin, who was right on Val-Yor's tail, followed him down a long, cylinder tunnel. But instead of going all the way to the end, the leader stopped short.

"Why are we…" Beast Boy quieted when he heard the booming below them.

Val-Yor pulled on a vent, and it broke free easily. He gestured for the others to follow him, as he disappeared into it.

Robin jumped first, then Beast Boy, Raven, and last Starfire._ There's about thirty of them, _Robin quickly estimated before he even touched the ground.

Val-Yor stood, smiling, as he crouched down. "I'll take the ugly one," he quipped.

And the battle began.

Three Locrixes immediately went for Robin. He backflipped out of the reach of their robotic arms. He hopscotched across the floor, then jumped high above one Locrix. He pushed against the ceiling, and came crashing down onto the machine.

The remaining two stretched for him. Robin fled in the opposite direction, avoided their flailing limbs. _These guys are pretty much the clones of Slade's army. Easier to take down one at a time, then all at once._

Robin spun around to realize his attackers were no longer following him. Beast Boy had taken them out.

Before he had the chance to blink, one crixie knocked him from behind. The Boy Wonder stumbled, but with quick feet, he doubled back, and knocked him on the read spot on his armor. The robot dropped, but quickly another took his place.

And so he fought on. With Val-Yor taking quick looks his way, Robin made sure to do his best. And he was. He always did.

One Locrix caught him by his foot, and sailed him across the room. "Watch out!" called Val-Yor. "They can sting you!" Robin darted across the wall to escape.

As the fight continued, Robin would dart a glance at his fellow teammates. A few times he saw Val-Yor complimenting Beast Boy or Raven. Never Starfire, though. _Not like he can go around shaking hands, _Robin pointed out. _He tells you you're doing a good job when he can. _

After ten more minutes or so, the Locrixes were defeated. Val-Yor stood tall, and spoke back to his group. "Good job, everyone."

"That was awesome!"

"Cool!"

"Not bad."

Val-Yor turned out. "Okay, team. Back to the bridge. We need to be ready in case they're foolish enough to launch another attack.

Robin, Raven, and Beast Boy started to leave.

"We did great!" Beast Boy was all smiles.

"Yeah, we did. I think Val-Yor's impressed." Robin spoke. Realizing Starfire was no longer with them, he turned around.

She was talking to Val-Yor. At first, she looked sad. Then, her expression changed to shock! _What's that about? _Robin was about to go back, when he heard a loud call from the front of the tunnel.

"Hey, Cy! You missed a great battle! You should have seen me!"

Robin turned to see that Cyborg had joined them. "No more crixies came."

"Good, because we would have kicked their butts anyway." Robin boasted.

"Val-Yor said he's never seen anything like me!" Beast Boy carried on.

"Yeah, most people haven't." Raven insulted dryly.

Starfire had now joined them, but was staying particularly quiet and a couple steps behind.

"I think I'm his favorite!"

"Oh, yeah!" Cyborg huffed. "He said my piloting skills were first rate!"

"Val-Yor thinks all of us are great!" Robin spoke as he continued walking. _I wonder what he has planned after we eliminate the crixies…_

"Well, we are all great!" Cyborg was truthful.

"SOME more great then others!" Beast Boy joked.

This statement caused Starfire to stop.

OOOOO

_**Okay. A bit more exciting. We see some hints now as towards the problem in the episode. Remember, the main character here is Robin. We are in his head, and we are mainly following him. So we don't see certain events. We don't know certain things.**_

_**Song**_


	3. In Her Eyes

Robin turned around to see that the alien girl was no longer with them. "Starfire, come on. We don't want to be late for the briefing."

She looked up, slowly. The glint in her eye was no longer there.

"Last one there is a rotten egg!" Beast Boy spoke before darting in the opposite direction. Smiling, Robin ran to make a lead. He took a second to look back, and saw that Raven and Cyborg were at his heals. Beast Boy, who had fallen behind, morphed into a cheetah.

But Starfire was walking slowly.

OOOOO

"We'll land here on the dark side of Cencian." Val-Yor pointed to the orange planet. Robin, Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy all took places around Val-Yor. "It's the best place for an attack."

"Starfire, you're missing the briefing." Robin finally got the chance to call on his friend. She had taken a seat farther away from the group.

She glared at him, her eyes wandering with a story. For a second, her face appeared blank. Then her tone dried. "I can gather everything I need from here."

_What is up with her? _Robin shook it off. _We are battling with one of the greatest heroes ever, and she's virtually ignoring us! _

"Robin, Cyborg; I want you both providing cover as I bring out the Quantum Eradicator." Val-Yor assigned. "I'll take it here," the steel man traced a dotted blue line across the map, "to the Central Power Core." He rotated his head and locked it on Robin. "I expect you to do a good job, Spike." He smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. It got very messy, but Robin hardly noticed.

_I already got a nickname! SWEET! _Robin felt his heart fly.

"We got your back!" Cyborg chimed in.

"I know you do, Metal Butt."

_My name is better! _You could SEE Robin's head getting bigger.

Val-Yor turned to Raven. "Now, Sunshine, I'm gonna need you to keep that energy field of yours around the ship." He turned to Beast Boy, who looked happier then a clam. "Champ, you provide backup where needed."

"Aye, aye!" The green boy saluted.

Val-Yor turned his head halfway, and aimed his next statement at Starfire. "You getting all this, Troq?"

_Troq?_

"Yes. I have gotten **everything**you have said." She didn't sound at all like herself. In fact, she sounded… hostile.

Robin looked back and forth between Starfire and Val-Yor. Yes, there was definitely something cooking… or boiling, in this case.

"I'm glad we have an understanding."

_Did Star do something to offend him? Maybe she…_

**BLING BLING BLING BLING!**

"More crixies?" Beast Boy responded to the alarm. A red light blipped in the closed room.

"No," the silver man griped. "Mines. The dirty Locrixes' trap. Our ship won't be able to pass through the mine field." A hologram of the mine field appeared. It looked like a web, except there were large circles spread throughout the lining. They were the bombs. "If one goes, they all go!"

Val-Yor turned to Starfire. "This is a job for you, Troq. Go out there and move those mines."

_What! _"Are you sure it's safe?" Robin questioned carefully.

The man shook it off. "It's just a few mines."

Starfire stood up. With clenched fists, she spoke, "Val-Yor, you are such a brave warrior." _That is the first time I have ever heard her sound sarcastic! _"Are you sure you do not wish to move these mines yourself?

"Of course I could move them! But I'm needed inside! Only an experienced pilot can navigate through here!" Val-Yor then added, "Besides, your people can withstand the hostile conditions of space."

"Everybody else, to the head of the plane!" Val-Yor commanded. He led Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy out. But Robin stayed behind with Starfire.

"What's wrong, Star? Did you and Val-Yor have some sort of argument?"

The red head turned away from his eye contact. "No. There was nothing to discuss."

"What is it you aren't telling me?" Robin stepped forward so he was inches from his friend. _Why won't she look me in the eye?_

"Nothing that concerns you, Robin. I must go prepare for my assignment." She walked around him, brushing his arm ever so lightly.

_No. _Robin reached for her elbow, and caught it in his palm. "Star, whatever's going on, do you think you could forget about it for now? I mean, Val-Yor is only here for a short while. He really seems to like us, and someone as great as him… well, we don't want him to think we can't help."

Finally Starfire looked up. _Oh, god. _Robin felt his insides flop. Her eyes were slightly moist, and the usually tan color of her skin had paled. It was as though she were hurt, but didn't know what to do.

Robin reached up his hand to touch her face, but she pulled back. "I will… do my best to be respectful of Val-Yor. I would not want him to be angry with us." And with that, she departed for her space mission.

_What is going on here? _Robin no longer thought this was minor. _Val-Yor would never do something to hurt Starfire…_

_Would he?_

OOOOO

**Ooh, some Robin/Star there. **

**Please let me know if anything seems unclear. I am doing my best to interpret the show. I added that scene at the end so we would have some clues and romance.**

**Lots of love,**

**Song **


	4. What is Unknown

The large plane approached the mine field, but held back by several feet. Robin had taken his co-pilot seat, and sat staring at large space. No one spoke as Starfire's fragile body appeared. She wore a headset, into which she could talk back and forth with Val-Yor.

She immediately approached one small bomb, and pushed on it with gentle hands. It moved easily, but she had to be careful to keep them from touching.

"Nice an' easy. We don't want any mistakes this time."

_He's still mad at us! _Robin knew he would somehow have to take Val-Yor's mind off of Starfire.

The alien didn't look back as she responded, "I will not make any."

For several minutes, bomb after bomb, Starfire soared like an eagle, placing the circles randomly through space. Robin suddenly sucked in breath. He hadn't realized that he had been holding his breath. All the others seemed worried as well, even Val-Yor.

The gap in the web started getting bigger.

"Already, we're going to proceed slowly. Troq, keep moving the bombs and be careful not to have any hit the ship."

"She's doing good." Robin was trying to ease up on Starfire.

"For now."

_Whatever she did, she really blew it with him! _Robin turned around. Val-Yor sat proudly, eyes in front of him. _Maybe Starfire didn't set him off. Maybe he just… _Robin couldn't think of a legitimate reason._ No. He wouldn't be so judgmental. He's too noble… But what other explanation is there?_

More minutes passed. Starfire kept moving bombs correctly. That is, until the craft's nose had just entered the hole in the web. The redhead had pushed a bomb too hard, and it was headed for its brother.

"Watch it, Troq! They're on a collision course!" Starfire gasped, and flew towards the ticking shells. They were within inches of each other.

"Eh! I can't watch!" called Beast Boy from behind.

_Star! _She had made her way in between the glowing blue balls, and was pushing them in opposite directions.

"Hrrrrrrrrrrrrr…." She grunted while using all of her strength.

"…..rrrrrrrrraaah!" The bombs gave in, and avoided touching. They flew away from Starfire, and away from one another.

"Did we blow up yet?" Beast Boy questioned.

"Yep," quipped Raven, "that's why you're still talking."

Back in space, Star had momentarily frozen. Probably in relief, but as she went to leave, the left of her foot banged into one of the bombs. It made a "whoooeee" sound, and started to grow brighter until it was almost blinding a sight.

"You tripped the detonator! You only have 20 seconds!" Val-Yor screamed.

_She can get killed! _Robin unplugged his seat belt. "I'm going out there!"

"No!" Val-Yor was very insistent. "It's too dangerous!"

"What about Starfire," Robin wanted to say, but held back. He slowly returned to his seat and stared hopefully out in space. Starfire was pushing the timed bomb as quickly as she could away from the ship. Her body was soon becoming but the size of an ant, until……

**BOOM!**

A sling of light bounced outwards from the bomb, and kept you from seeing everything happening. The exploding sound fade as seconds grew, but there was no sign of Starfire.

Robin felt his heart reach his throat.

Then, out of Val-Yor's earpiece, the four Titans heard: "You may proceed safely."

The gang cheered and hollered upon her victory.

"Way to go, Starfire!"

"Good job!"

"You rock!"

_Thank god._

"I never doubted her for a second," Robin turned to see Beast Boy with his arms around Raven's waist. "Raven, you really shouldn't worry so much." A cold stare from the blue girl made him release his grasp on her.

While the two bickered, Robin searched the skies for Starfire. He found her, but the look he received was not a proud one. It was still the somber look she had shown before her mission.

"I'm gonna go talk to her." Robin stood up. But a large robotic man stood in his way.

"Maybe… I should be the one to greet her."

_What? Why?_ "Why?"

Cyborg looked down upon Robin, and spoke somewhat coldly, "She's already got one person angry at her. We don't need two people."

_So Cyborg figured it out, too. _"I am not angry at her." Robin spoke gruffly.

"I heard your speech to her, Robin. I was listening from outside the door."

_You listened to us? But our talks are private! For just me and Starfire!_ Robin was, at first, appalled as to why he had thought such a thing. He really knew why, though. Because during their talks, things, small things, would happen that others would find… questionable.

Robin almost blushed.

"You stay here and talk to Val-Yor. Not about Starfire, but just general stuff. You make him happy, I'll make her happy."

Robin looked up in shock, raising his eyebrows. Cyborg gave an awkward glance. "Uh, you know what I mean." The half robot/half human did an about-face, and walked out the steel door.

OOOOO

**Hello!**

**What do you think of this chapter? We have quite a lot going on. **

**The next post will be the one where we find out what's been happening between Starfire and Val-Yor. But how will Robin react?**

**Ever Yours,**

**Song**


	5. The Truth of Troq

"…And that's how we defeated Control Freak!" The Boy Wonder exhaled. He had just finished telling the long tale of Control Freak's long-held plot and his eventual extermination.

Val-Yor smiled. "Sounds like you handled your team well." He placed his metal hand firmly on Robin's shoulder. "You're a true leader. You remind me of myself when I was your age, Spike."

Robin beamed largely. He felt himself being pulled under Val-Yor's arm. His black hair was, once again, being playfully ruffled.

_I bet Cyborg got the whole thing covered, _he felt less worry for Starfire. _Val-Yor seems to be happy, and that's all that matters. _While his thoughts may have been somewhat conceited, he was brainwashed by his idol.

The tickling stopped, however, when the boy heard behind him:

"Robin, can I get a word?"

Val-Yor made his fingers into the shape of a gun, and clicked the trigger, as if to say, **_"Go on, buddy."_**

Robin flashed a smile before approaching Cyborg, and a nervous looking Starfire. He heard Beast Boy make a comment, but the words were blocked out as Cyborg leaned in to whisper.

"You've heard what Val-Yor's been calling Starfire, right?"

"Yeah. Troq." _What is this about?_

Starfire immediately flinched. This confused him.

"Well, it turns out it's a word that insults Tameranians."

_What! _"What?"

Cyborg whispered even quieter. "Starfire told me that lots of people in space consider Tameranians useless. Troq. And that's what he's been calling her this whole time."

_No! No way! Never in a mill…_

But Robin's common sense snapped at him so suddenly it was as though he had broken a powerful trance.

_That… That… WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON HIM…_

"Starfire, why didn't you say something!" He jabbed his left fist into his right palm. "He will apologize! I'm going to make-"

"No, Robin." Starfire finally spoke. Her voice was higher, but softer. "Our mission is more important than my feelings."

**BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!**

Val-Yor shouted: "We've arrived at Cencian. Prepare for landing!"

The screen showed Cencian, with ships and missiles coming from every direction. They looked very unhappy.

"Looks like they were expecting us." The (now-evil) man scratched.

OOOOO

The ship avoided the artillery and sunk down onto the planet's surface. The sea was lime green, as was the sky. They headed for what appeared to be a city, where more Locrix' ships sat. They fired at will, hardly worried about losing ammunition.

"Okay, Titans, just as we planned. Cyborg and Robin, take the lead. Beast Boy and Raven, guard our escape route. I'm taking the quantum eradicator and putting an end to the filthy crixies once and for all!"

_He actually left Starfire out! Why didn't I see this? I'm supposed to watch out for my team… for Starfire…_

"What about Starfire?"

The steel man groaned. "Guard the ship, Troq."

Robin was about to object, when he saw Starfire clench her fists tightly. "No. I am going with you."

**"**I gave you an order!"

"I do not take orders from you."

_You go, Star!_

"If my friends go into danger, so do I. Besides, **my** people can withstand hostile conditions."

OOOOO

The ship landed smoothly on the alien planet. Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven all stood on opposite sides of Val-Yor. He stood with the Quantum Eradicator strapped firmly onto his back. It was at least four times his size, but he managed to lift it without much struggle.

"Let's do this," the steel man directed.

And the war began.

Cyborg and Robin immediately took out a dozen men, Cyborg with his cannon, and Robin with his high kick. The girl then took over as Starfire shot her fire bolts, and Raven her black beams. They took out another detachment easily.

However, these crixies weren't unprepared. More robots quickly took the other's places, and attacked at random. Most went for Raven, seeing that she could take out groups at a time.

Five locrixes surrounded Robin. He pulled his fighting baton from his cape, and gestured for the enemy's to try attacking him. Swiftly, and quickly, each one was taken down. But just as fast, more replaced. They had quite an army, but numbers was the only thing on their side.

Robin noticed Starfire and Val-Yor headed for the main tower."Good luck, Star."He muttered under his breath. His thoughts were broken, though, as a crixie punched him in the ribs. He boy flew yards before hitting the earth with a thud. Taking no time to recover, he did a hand-spring and was immediately back to fighting.

Cyborg shouted to Robin, though he was only a few feet away. "I'm going after Starfire!"

"She can handle herself." He knew she would be okay. Robin dodged a reaching arm, and did a sideways spin through the air. _Though I do owe her a huge apology later._

"I really think I should go…" Cyborg's last words were left unsaid when instead he had to dodge a missile.

"Val-Yor is not going to do anything to her. And she can look after herself. Arg!" Two crixies nearly rammed into him. Robin brought his left foot up high and spun like a ballerina. With each rotation, he knocked over several attackers.

"I don't trust the guy. If she were to be hurt, I don't think he'd hesitate to leave her behind." Cyborg's cannon lights shot everywhere. His juice would be seriously low soon.

Robin landed on top of a crixie and sighed. _He's right. _"Give them fifteen minutes. If they are not back by then, we're going."

"Fifteen minutes? Dude," he stopped short to take out a group, "that's way too long! We should…"

"Why do you suddenly care so much about Starfire, Cyborg!"

Everyone had heard the remark. Beast Boy turned to look at the boys, and was immediately zapped. He skidded across the dirt. Raven didn't stop fighting, though she was clearly listening.

"Because, right now, you seemed to still be stuck in Val-Yor Land!"

Robin's jaw dropped. "What is that supposed to mean?" He quickly turned to knock over a crixie. There were only about of them fifty left.

"It means that you don't seem to care about her. You are still hoping that this guy is the saint we all thought he was!"

_  
WHAT! _Robin sucked in a breath. He was right, admittedly. But that didn't mean he didn't care about Starfire. _I care about her much more then you do! _Robin was shocked at not only Cyborg's remark, but his thoughts. "I'm sorry," he finally gave in. "Look, we can take it from here. Why don't you go after Va-"

_Vroooooooooooooooooooom. _All at once, the locrixes' red eye lights started going out. Their power had been shut off, and robotic bodies fell all over; like dominoes.

"They did it!" Robin noted with a small smile.

"No," Cyborg corrected, "**She **did."

Explosions came from all over, as a closing to their battle. Starfire appeared soaring from the smoke, holding up a wounded Val-Yor. He was clearly unconscious.

"Starfire, are you okay?" Raven, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Robin all huddled together around the couple.

She spoke nothing of their journey, not did she answer Beast Boy's question. "Val-Yor requires medical attention."

OOOOO

**Hiya! Sorry it took me so long to post. This was fun to write, because I got to add the Cyborg/Robin fight. Be sure to tell me what you think!**

**The next chapter will be the last!  But I am planning on writing more episodes like this. This was my first attempt, so the others won't be quite so rushed. If you have any requests as to which episode or who's POV you want it from, please let me know! **

**Remember to Review! **

**Song**

_, tilting up to her head.)_


	6. What Truly Matters

Robin stood in the doorway. The Titans had just returned home, and Val-Yor was resting on the couch. As soon as the man was conscious, though, he would be leaving. Cyborg, Beast boy, and Raven had gone to pick up some fast food, leaving Starfire and Robin alone. Starfire had gone straight to her room, clearly still perturbed at her friend. Not angry, but upset.

Robin knocked three sharp times, and waited for only a second. He knew she wouldn't answer. "Star?" He entered her purple room, giving it a once-over. He had never really seen the inside, considering that Cyborg had done all the designing for the tower. "Starfire, I want to apologize. I should never have blamed you until I knew what was going on."

The alien girl was sitting on her bed, back to him. She did not look up or open her eyes when she answered. "It is fine, Robin. Val-Yor is someone to idolize and impress. I am just a friend who you see everyday. You were right to scold me."

_Wow, I feel so much better now. _Robin slowly stepped towards his friend. When he stood at her side, she turned her head in order to avoid eye contact.

"You know that's not true."

"Do I?"

"Yes, you do." When she said nothing, he kneeled. He placed his hand firmly on her shoulder, and spoke in a loud, almost demanding voice. "You aren't **just **a friend. You are my best friend. I care about all of you guys, and I would never want our friendship to die. People like Val-Yor come around everyday; but best friends are once-in-a-lifetime."

She finally turned to face him. Her smile immediately sent a warm tingle through his bloodstream. Robin's hand slowly made its way down her arm. Both he and Starfire watched him do it. Their eyes then connected once more, with a new twinkle in each pupil. However it happened, Robin had no clue, but soon he found his head moving forward. _What am I doing? _His body didn't receive the message that his brain was shouting. Before seconds had passed, Starfire's face was mere inches from his. They both paused for a moment, as both were quickly trying to contemplate the situation.

"Ahem," a deep voice interrupted. Robin harshly pulled back, and saw Val-Yor at the doorway. He was limping slightly, and his arm had been casted. But instead of saying anything, he simply kept walking on passed the room.

Robin stood up tall, and spoke down to Starfire. "I smell burgers. Raven and the guys must be back. Let's go eat." Starfire rised, but didn't move. Even a blind man could have noticed the unhappiness in her eyes. _Sorry, Star. But what can I do? _He didn't say this aloud of course. Slowly, and die-by-side, the two exited the room.

Evening soon awoke and presented himself as a dark shadow over the Titan tower. As soon as Val-Yor had recovered, he immediately prepared to leave. No one objected. The steel man had requested a new ship, and it arrived almost immediately. The five titans stood on the tower, gazing at their once-was hero, showing no sign of pleasure of acquaintance.

"Well, thank you for all your help." The instructor spoke dryly.

"Don't thank us." _You coward, _Boy Wonder added only in silence. While packing, he heard words being spoken… harsh words… being said about Starfire trying to play the hero. "Thank Starfire."

"Yeah. She's the one who saved your sorry butt."

He looked anything but happy at Beast Boy's statement. However, he listened, though why, Robin hardly knew. "Thank you, Starfire. I have to admit, you're not bad for a Tr...Tamaranian."

Starfire shifted uncomfortably, very much unsatisfied with his actions.

Val Yor forced a laugh, and announced, "You must be one of the good ones."

**"**No. The fact that I rescued you does not make me any better than other Tamaranians."

"Look. I'm trying to pay you a compliment."

"Then why does it still sound like an insult?" Raven defended her friend. Beast Boy stood at her side, as did Robin and Cyborg. They were friends to the end.

"Spike, you understand I didn't mean anything by it, it's just-"

Robin took a step closer to Starfire, indicating that he was much closer to her then he could ever be with him. "Val Yor, I think it's time for you to go." The cold statement brought a brief silence.

Val-Yor turned away. "I thought you Earthlings were all right. I guess I was wrong." He looked over his shoulder, and remarked gruffly. "You're just like the Troqs."

The man disappeared into his craft, and began levitating above the ground. Before you could blink twice, the ship began to grow smaller.

"I'm sorry Val Yor treated you like that." Robin then added, "If I'd known, I never would've let it happen." _I shouldn't have been so blind to it in the first place… _Robin had taken plenty of beatings, by himself mainly.

"None of us would," Cyborg pointed out. He was agreed with by Raven and Beast Boy's bobbing heads.

Starfire faced towards the sky. Her hair wrapped around the back of her body, and cupped at her arms. "There is nothing you could have done. There will always be people who say mean words because you are different, and sometimes their minds cannot be changed."

She turned to face her Titan friends, smiling to some extent. "But there are many more people who do not judge others based on how they look or where they are from."

"Those are the people whose words **truly** matter."

OOOOO

**And so ends the tale of "Troq". I do hope you enjoyed it!**

**I am now open for requests! Should we have the episode, "Deception" through Cyborg's eyes? "The Beast Within" in BB's mind. (For Rae/BB shippers.) Or even The End, through everybody's head?**

**Do tell me what you did and did not like about the story. I wish to improve!**

**Ever yours,**

**Song**


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